Little Lego Lover Builds a Robot All By Himself

One day last month, our 4-year old woke up before me and ventured into his daddy's Lego & computer equipment warehouse office. He decided that he wanted to build a Lego robot all by himself.  Upon waking up that day, I found him in his daddy's office looking over the instructions for the base assembly. 

He quickly assembled the base without any problems.

Then he consulted the Lego computer program for additional build instructions.

Finally, he selected the motions he wanted the robot to perform, received a few programming tips from his father, and programmed his robot.  He completed the entire project all by himself.  I'm convinced that the Lego company will continue to thrive for many more generations to come because all boys are born with LEGO skills ingrained inside their DNA.

Joey's robot only spins around in circles while firing pellets, but considering that he programmed it all by himself, I think he's well on his way to becoming a techie programmer, just like his Digital Age Dad.

Random Ramblings

Random ramblings regarding recent reflections:

1. Our son gets the award for the most wacky random quote of the week when he said to me, "Mom, when I was a baby in your tummy I thought the world was made of cotton balls."    
2. We've been working with the kids on their attitudes about chores and school work.  I got an encouraging report from our daughter's teacher today, and while the kids were doing their Saturday morning chores, I saw a marked improvement in attitude.   There's nothing quite like a little "par-tay" song to improve one's attitude.
   
   Exhibit A
   
   
3. Temperatures climbed back into the high 80s this past week.  So you can imagine my surprise when the kids woke me up Friday morning to tell me that the golf course was covered in snow.  What I discovered when I looked outside was obviously not snow, but the way the morning sunlight reflected off of the dew on the grass did give the greens a white hue.
4. Our community group (small group within our larger church life class) met last night.  This meeting was especially unique because our brave hosts encouraged us to bring our kids which is a first for our group.  Inviting kids was especially daring considering that the last time two of our kids played together, one ended up in the ER.  We just love this group and are so grateful for their company in any setting - even if that setting involves 13 energetic kids buzzing all around spewing chaos and giggles as they go.
5. The See You At the Pole™ Global Day of Prayer was held this past Wednesday.  It was a great privilege to stand with our daughter, her teachers, classmates, and other parents next to Old Glory and pray for her school, our community and our nation. Read more here.

God knows our anxious thoughts

This past week, I have taken delight in the fact that our infinite God knows our every thought and loves all of His children enough to care about their smallest concerns.

A Recent Example

When I relocated to a different state to get married over ten years ago, I eventually lost touch with one of my closest friends.  She served as my bridesmaid, but after my wedding (and hers that soon followed), the distance between us and busyness of life caused us to drift apart.

Our family recently decided to drive through her state on the way back from Disney World this fall, so I tried to contact her using the only email address I had for her with the hopes of planning a stop to see her, but that email address bounced. I hoped that I would eventually figure out an easy way to get her updated contact information.

The very next day after our homeschool co-op meeting, I received an "accidental email" from her.  As it turns out, she had also joined Classical Conversations (CC), the same homeschool co-op we have been involved in over the past 3 years.  (CC began in my home state but has spread across the U.S. and the world.) She belongs to a local CC chapter in her city.  She had sent out a mass email in which she provided a memory work music resource for the geography curriculum for this cycle (all groups study the same curriculum each year with the cycles repeating every three years), and had accidentally included me on the email distribution.  So, not only did we reconnect, but she also sent me a valuable resource that is very applicable for our current homeschooling studies.  It was as if God knew how difficult it may have been for me to find her updated contact info, so He redirected her email to me to ensure that we connected in person next month.

More Examples

I have been a tad depressed this past week regarding the accelerated aging taking place within me.  A recent skin age test indicated that I have the skin of someone 8 years older.  Having my son ask me if I was born when Bible characters were still alive (see previous post) did not help any.

My back and neck pains returned this past week as my knee pains have been worsening.  Walking, prolonged sitting, climbing stairs, squatting and lunging cause pain.  Running is impossible.  Staying active and running have been primary methods of stress management for me, so these prolonged pains have really made me feel old.  I have consulted with countless doctors and physical therapists with no real signs of improvement.  Last week, I took a neurospinal function test and in every category, my scores reflected the body of someone much older.   Hopefully, I have now found someone who can make a difference and bring about real improvement in those scores.  We test again in three months.

So, given that long introduction, today, God reminded once again that He knows my anxious thoughts.

"Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." (Psalm 139:23)

I attended a mandatory training session for the wives of deacons this morning.  The speaker, Ann, spoke straight to my heart as she suggested to the wives that while our role as our husband's help mate in ministry is vital, God may choose to use us individually as well.

Lately, I have been reflecting on ministry fruitfulness. I often feel like my life had more purpose and spiritual fruit as a single woman than it does now.  That was a season when I could more easily devote all my time and attention to the Lord without all the distractions and busyness that comes with being a wife and a mother. While I know my new role is just as important and cherish my time discipling my children, I don't find that I have energy or time left for much ministry outside of the home after tending to the needs of my children and supporting my husband in his roles as worship leader with the praise team, life class teacher, and now, deacon.  There has been a yearning inside of me to do more for the kingdom while wondering how and when I'll ever find the time.

Ann challenged us to pray for God to give us divine appointments as we go about our daily routine.  She has found that by just simply making a conscious effort to speak to those around her at worship services has been a way of receiving those divine appointments.  She shared several examples such as the story of Amy (not her real name).  This young lady wore an expression of great despair, anxiety, and weariness.  Ann invited her to a quiet place to talk.  There the young woman poured out her heart and her troubles.  She was single, pregnant, trying to give up a drug addiction, and unsure what she believed about God.  She was homeless and helpless.  Ann comforted and encouraged her, and directed her to the people in our church who can provide her with much needed counseling and material resources from our church's benevolence ministry.

As Amy was leaving, Ann noticed that Amy's tattered shoes no longer fit and were causing her great discomfort.  So, Ann told her about our church's clothes "closet" and took her up to the large clothing area in search for shoes in Amy's size.  Ann silently prayed for the Lord to supply shoes that would fit.  When Amy saw the array of shoes, she was immediately drawn to one lovely pair in great condition.  Would they fit?  Amy said she wore an 8 wide.  Finding such a specialty size would take a miracle, but it just so happened that the first pair Amy selected were precisely her size.  Amy was blessed in a great way that day, but Ann thinks she was blessed even more. Experiencing God's miracles first hand is always so encouraging.  When we commit to be a blessing to someone, we will usually receive a blessing in return.

Speaking of blessings, as each woman left the training, the deacon ministry gave her two long stemmed red roses. 

With that lesson fresh in my mind, I asked the Lord to send me a divine appointment as I walked into the worship service following the training.  My husband was singing with the praise team so I tried not to be too distracted by his handsome face displayed on the big screens around the worship center.  When I turned my eyes away from my man to my God, I felt myself being ushered into God's presence.

After the wonderful worship time, I turned to the kind elderly gentleman seated next to me to speak a word of greeting and cheer to him.  With a warm smile, he looked at me and saw the children's program's security child pick-up slips in my hand.  He said, "Surely, you are not old enough to have children."  He asked my age and looked at me with great surprise when I told him.  I never thought I would thank the Lord for presbyopia, but age related loss of eyesight surely enabled that man to see me as a young girl instead of the middle aged woman that I am. I tried to bless him, but he gave me a blessing instead.  I was reminded that I should not be worrying over the passage of time and the effects of aging.  It's all relative, and it's all in God's hands.  I left the worship service with renewed hope for physical healing and a renewed focus on that which is eternal.

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail." (Isaiah 51:6)

As I was reflecting on Ann's presentation and the gentleman's comment, the Lord reminded me of the prayer of Jabez.  Jabez's mother choose the name "Jabez", which means "sorrow", because his birth caused her so much pain.

^"Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.' And God granted his request."  (1 Chronicles 4:10)

I know how difficult it is to be effective in ministry when overcome by pain. I need to pray in faith as Jabez did.

Oh gracious God, please help me to be effective in my ministry as wife and mother.  In your timing and according to your will, please expand my ministry, and finally, please keep me from further injury that I might be free from pain.

Thank you, Lord, for knowing our hearts and loving us anyway.

Yet another reason why my children make me feel old

 

Joey (age 4):  Mom, if Nana is 70 now, she will be 71 next year.   
                       When she's done with the 70s, then she'll be 80.  
                       When she's done with the 80s, then she'll be 90.  
                       When she's done with the 90s, she'll be 100.  
                       When she's done with the 100s, she'll be 200.

Me:                People can't live to be 200.

Joey:              My great-great-great-great-grandmother did.
 
Me:               No son, life expectancy has actually increased since then.

Joey:            Moses lived that long.  In the Bible days people lived a really long time.  
                     Mom, were you born when the people in the Bible were still alive?

A few kid quotes: Horsepower and the Tower of Babel

The kids and I listened to C.S.Lewis' The Magician's Nephew via audio CD on the way to/from school today.  When Polly and Diggery met the queen witch in another world, I commented, "How could they be from two totally different worlds and separate dimensions of time yet still speak the same language?"

The 4-year old responded, "That's easy, Mom.  Remember the Tower of Babel?  Before they built the tower, everyone spoke the same language."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Last week, my 4-year old asked me to buy him a convertible.

This week, he decided he would rather have a rocket.
"When will you buy me a rocket so I can fly in it?  How many dollars would I need to buy it myself?"  he asked.

~~~~~~~~~~~

His obsession with modes of transportation continues. Yesterday an old sports car, filled with lanky teenagers who gave us cocky grins, passed me on the highway.  My son asked, "Mom, does their car have more horsepower than your car?"

~~~~~~~~~~~

This morning at breakfast, my 4-year old told me that I should become a preacher.  His sister added, "You should, Mom, since you are so good about teaching us the Bible."

While I appreciated their sentiment, I do not think the SBC would approve. :-)

Out of the Box: New School Update

I started this blog with the hope that it would serve as my personal journal where I would be inspired to write what the Lord is teaching me in the areas of faith, family, fitness, and freedom. Now that I have started writing a national health column and a local Christian living column for a secular news agency, many of my personal lessons and reflections are now being recorded in AP format in those articles instead of on this personal blog.  So, now it seems that the primary content of this blog relates to topics that are not exactly newsworthy but still very dear to my heart.  I hope my few readers will still want to stop by even if a larger percentage of posts are about our kids and our struggles to raise them up in the ways of the Lord.

A number of people, both friends here in America and friends serving overseas, have been asking me about our new schooling adventure.  After three years of homeschooling, we decided this year to send our daughter to a brand new private Christian school that is very unique, unlike any other school in America or perhaps anywhere else in the world.  We are still homeschooling our son and continuing our involvement in our homeschool co-op while we test out this new school concept with our daughter.  I will be sharing my observations and maybe even my own assessments of the school's vision and effectiveness regularly on this blog for those who have asked for more information.

The school's motto is "Out of the Box:  Learn it, Live it, Believe it!"

Sometimes we need to pull ourselves "out of the box".

Some of the "out of the box" ways this school functions that I have observed over the past two weeks include:

1. Attention is given to individual needs.
• One student has a severe gluten allergy, so an entire classroom has been designated gluten free.  Student lunches are kept in a separate part of the school and any gluten products are eaten far away from this student.  
• Other students have peanut allergies, so the entire school is peanut-free.  Each student must thoroughly wash his or her hands before entering the classroom multiple times throughout the day.
• The classical hands-on homeschool curriculum used at this school is ideal for teaching multiple students of various ages with a wide range of learning styles.  The standard and excessively monotonous Abeka worksheets used in most Christian schools will never be found at this school.  Instead, students learn by listening, reading, experiencing, and applying.
2. Students discover that learning can be fun.  This school makes learning so enjoyable that our daughter wears a smile from ear to ear every minute she is there.   Now, if we ever decide to pull her out of this school, we will need to drag her out kicking and screaming.  She simply loves school now, as do the other students in her class, despite having four different temporary teachers in the first eight days. While I am frustrated that her original teacher had to resign, the school administration has adapted amazingly well to every hiccup or short notice change of plans.
3. Worship classes are a priority.  Every student in this school takes a praise and worship class. Once a month, the weekly praise assemblies are opened to the students' families, so today I enjoyed watching the students "lead" us in praise and worship.  One very young girl in the K-2 class seemed to especially get a lot out of the worship time.  She waddled up to the front of the "stage" and sang with all her heart while shaking her little body with wild enthusiasm to the rhythm of the music as she heard it in her head anyway. While her little performance may have distracted others from their time of worship instead of directing their attention to the Lord, her childlike enthusiasm for the Lord both inspired and convicted me.
4. Students do not merely learn about Christian values, they regularly apply them. 
• When one student felt anxious and stressed, the entire class stopped working and went over to the hurting student to lay hands on her and pray for her.
• When Biblical truths are revealed through the study of science, history, literature, or even math, the students pause to give God glory.  One student even spontaneously exclaimed to her teacher, "Preach it!"
5.  Every lesson points to God.   The homeschool curriculum used by this private Christian school is hugely popular among homeschooling families because every lesson points to the divine Creator and gives glory to God.
• How can Christian students study the wonder of the human body or the infinitely sophisticated design of any living creature or plant on earth without pausing to give glory to the perfectly creative, infinitely wise Designer?  How can anyone study the Laws of Thermodynamics and not consider how the theory of evolution so obviously contradicts these basic laws of nature by claiming that order came from disorder and that life sprang out of non-life?  At this school, worship is encouraged, not silenced.
  
• I loved teaching social studies in our homeschool because the timeline and historical lessons tied in so beautifully with our Bible study.  When we studied the Babylonians in history, we studied the book of Daniel during our Bible study time.  When we learned about ancient Rome and their oppressive rule over Israel in history, we examined the gospels and the Messianic prophecies to better understand the Jewish expectations for their Savior.  A similar course of study along a common timeline should take place at this school.
• When studying geography at this school, the students also study missionaries who have been to those parts of the world.  The students have initiated prayer times for the lost in those regions.  When they studied Napoleon, they considered both his weaknesses (short and angry) and his strengths (brave, intelligent, effective leader).  Then they considered their own unique spiritual gifts which were given by God for His wonderful purposes for their individual lives. They also considered this verse as it relates to Napoleon's conquests:

Matthew 16:26
What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

School T-shirt

The greatest difference the parents are observing at this school is the powerful presence of God.  No matter what curriculum, methodology, or vision shapes a school, without the direction and power of the indwelling Spirit, the school functions in vain.  During the worship assembly today, many parents and grandparents shared their personal observations which testified of the Holy Spirit's power and presence at this school.

Psalm 127:1
Unless the LORD builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

Getting out of the box is never easy, but so far, I'm glad we stepped out, and our Right Brained Girl is thrilled to the gills that we did.

Right Brained Girl Starts School

Right Brained Girl started "real school" the day after Labor Day.   The school has originally supposed to begin in August on the same day as traditional calendar public schools.  However, by early August, the school had so many new students that the administrators knew they needed to find a larger facility.  So during the three weeks before the school's scheduled start date, the directors found a new building, raised a team of volunteers, received donations of services and materials, and completed an extensive construction project to turn a warehouse into a school with multiple classrooms, an office, restrooms, lunchroom, science labs, etc. This school is located in one of the state's strictest counties regarding building inspections, and despite inspections being delayed due to one inspector's vacation schedule, the school only started five school days later than initially planned.  The directors give all glory to God for miraculously working out all the details and for providing the resources required. Considering that I was blind in one eye and could not drive during the week school was initially scheduled to start, I consider the delay to be a wonderful blessing.

Our daughter is in a multi-age classroom comprised of students in third through sixth grades.  She seemed nervous at first on that first day, but within five minutes of my departure, she had made lots of new friends.  When I returned to take her home that afternoon, she was huddled together with all her new friends and told me to go back home because she wanted to stay there forever.

We loved her teacher and really liked the way she decorated the classroom to look like a jungle. Our daughter become very attached to her during those first three days.  On day four, however, her beloved teacher had to resign due to unforeseen circumstances.  Our daughter sobbed when her teacher left and continues to hope that she will return eventually.  Since then she has had two wonderful substitute teachers who have both homeschooled their children and taught in public schools.

The first three days of school were spent implementing systems to organize the classroom.  The students learned how to organize their notebooks and how to take responsibility for their assignments.  They learned some interesting systems to encourage good behavior and practiced cycling through the various "centers". The students spent time getting to know one another while the teacher observed the students closely to assess learning styles and individual needs.

I initially thought those first few days were a waste of time and money, but I am realizing now how important those systems will be for managing the classroom and for making the best use of school time for the remainder of the school year.  I am also learning new ways of motivating my own children.

The school's curriculum, which was initially created for homeschooling families, was finally introduced (by the substitute teachers) this week, and I do believe it will challenge our daughter.  It has been hard for me to abandon my lesson plans, my curriculum, and my expectations for this school year.  As a homeschooling mother, I was accustomed to having control and feeling like I know better than anyone else what my child needs, so the process of learning to let go has not been easy.  However, God knows our daughter so much more perfectly than I do, so I am learning to let go and trust Him to give her what He knows she needs through this school.

The Lord placed a new thought in my heart this past week that is giving me more peace about this school decision.  Perhaps this school choice isn't just about what she needs, but also about what the other students need.  God has gifted our right brained child with an outgoing personality and a heart of compassion.   Her class has already grown from 9 to 16 students.  She strives to reach out to each new student. She wants to make them feel welcome and to ensure that no one is without a friend.   I sense that God will use her in some way for His glory at her school.  That is my prayer.

I am also realizing that there are some non-academic lessons, skills, and behaviors that a more conventional school setting may be more effective in teaching her such as:

• The discipline to sit still while being instructed (as opposed to doing ballet or gymnastics while I'm trying to teach her at home)
• How to take responsibility for her own work without being reminded and nagged by her mother (If she gets a zero for her grade, so be it. It's only 3rd grade.  She seems to feel the consequences more strongly in a group setting.)
• How to follow a strict schedule and be punctual
• How to tune out distractions and focus on the work at hand
• How to plan ahead and wait for others (Example: Bathroom, water, and snack breaks are taken according to a class schedule, not whenever each student feels the need.)
• To respect others by raising her hand and waiting to be called upon before blurting out an answer
• To consider the interests of others before her own by choosing to walk quietly through hallways so as not to disturb other classes
• To be reminded daily that life is not all about her (In school, the teacher is not readily available to help every student at once.  She must learn to work through the problem herself, be resourceful, and wait patiently until the teacher can address her concern.)
• How to sit in a chair correctly (Okay, that is something I could easily teach her at home, but I needed an excuse to share these cute photos.)

Incorrect use of a chair (photo by BeasKnees)

 Seated incorrectly again at our homeschool co-op (she still attends once a week)

Homeschooling has so many wonderful benefits, and I am thankful to have had the freedom to homeschool her these past few years. I am still really enjoying teaching my son at home. I often wish that our daughter was home with me instead of off at school (even more so when that early morning alarm forces me out of bed to take her to school on time each day), but I am also seeing the many advantages of giving her this new school experience.  No matter where or how God directs us to educate each child, we must learn to trust Him to protect, equip, and work through our children for His perfect glory.

Top Kid Quotes for the Week 9/9/2011

This week's top kid quotes all came out of the mouth of our babe who I think has inherited my predisposition for having bad hair days.

I have been calling our 4-year old "Echo" on this blog, but after a year of listening to him plead with us (and everyone else) to call him Joey, we agreed that his super hero public persona could be Joey, but he will keep his given name as his secret identity.

Joey's sister started school at a new school this week.  She has been homeschooled up until now, so this week marked an exciting new adventure for her.  I had suspected that Joey might miss her while she was at school. I could tell he missed her because...

this Bibleman battle ready boy...

Dressed as Bibleman

who is crazy about Cars (the movie), treasures Toy Story, loves Legos....

Dressed as Buzz Lightyear, he builds a Lego ship

 and wears weaponry...

 asked, "Can I watch the Cinderella movie during my TV time this week?"

Joey continued asking how lots of different things are made this week.  He was most interested in learning how glass is made.   "Mom, how is glass made?  Is it made in real life like it is made in Minecraft*?"  Thanks to Minecraft, he already knew the process begins with melting sand, so we quickly covered the basics of glass making.

*Minecraft is a virtual world video game my husband introduced to the kids much to my shagrin.

Then he asked me how tires are made.  Having worked as an engineer for Michelin Tire Corporation for over five years, I was delighted to explain the complex process to him in minute detail.

Last night, my husband watched the President's speech.  Joey came downstairs, looked at Obama on the big TV screen and said, "Dad, why in the world are you watching HIM?"  

After receiving an explanation from his dad regarding why it was important to listen to what the President has to say, Joey said to me this morning while I was driving,  "Mom, I think Obama does know a little (he emphasized the word "little") about God." That statement led into a memorable discussion about what it means to follow Christ and to know Him personally as compared to merely believing He exists or knowing facts about Him.  We also discussed the sin nature, the process of sanctification, and how we must daily deal with our sin.

Kid Rock performed during the pregame show for a football game last night (ugh...the season in which many wives feel like football widows is upon us).   Joey walked by the TV when Kid Rock was singing.  He watched for a moment and said, "Kid Rock must be a Christian because there is an American flag behind him, he just said 'Glory', and he raised his arms to the sky pointing to Heaven."

Kid Rock performs on stage (www.defenselink.mil/)

Perhaps we need to have more in depth conversations like we had in the car earlier today.

Colossians 1:9-11

New International Version (NIV)

 ⁹ For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,

Roller Hockey Rocks

Our 4-year old took roller hockey lessons this summer.  I had hoped it might toughen him up a bit, but he enjoyed it mostly for the social interaction.  He gabbed with the other two boys in his class and the two coaches like a teenage girl.   This boy is definitely a people person.

So You Think You Can Dance

Our right brained child took dance lessons this summer.   She has not had a dance lesson since she was a preschooler and she was to be among the youngest in this class, so I feared she would not be ready.  I was never very flexible or coordinated at her age, so my memories of dance lessons as a child are of feeling embarrassed and awkward.  When it comes to line-dancing, however, I will get out there and groove no matter how silly I may look.

Knowing that a mom should never project her own childhood anxieties onto her own child, I kept my concerns to myself, and wow, did she ever surprise me.  When I would watch her through the windows from the lobby area, tears poured down my cheeks. Not only could she keep up with the older girls who had been dancing for years, but she looked simply lovely out there, moving with poise and grace.  This same girl bumps into something, trips, or hurts herself in some way nearly every day... just like her mama.  How did she learn to dance so gracefully in such a short period of time?   As her mother, I know I'm biased, but she really did surprise me.

The theme for the summer dance camp was "So You Think You Can Dance." At each lesson, the students would watch a clip from the TV show, and then learn how to dance in the particular style shown on TV.  At the end of camp, they gave a mini recital with each dancer performing a snippet of tap, ballet, jazz, and hip hop.

After the camp ended, she asked if we could move to a neighboring city to be closer to this dance studio.  We just discovered at orientation last week that a dance company is located right next door to her new school.  She may soon be asking us for lessons every school day.  Because dancing is so expensive (especially at recital time), time consuming, and may involve skimpy outfits or suggestive movements (although there are studios in the area that make modesty a priority), I had hoped dancing would not be her favorite activity.  Horseback riding and Upward basketball are still high on her list, but dancing may be moving up to first place.